Payback, a livestock feed company, wanted to reward the 4-H members who use their product to feed their animal. Club members in Hettinger and Slope counties who win either Champion, or Reserve Champion earn a personalized pullover jacket from the company and are distributed by local representatives from the area Southwest Grain locations.

“If they get Grand Champion, or Reserve Champion they automatically get a jacket,” Chelsie Clevenger said. “It’s basically just Payback’s way of thanking the kids for using their show feeds on their animals.”

Clevenger, who works as secretary for the New England location of Southwest Grain, said it is neat because the jackets are personalized with their names, and their winning category, giving the kids a way of essentially wearing their prize for everyone to see their accomplishment.

“I think it’s a really cool idea of what they do for the kids,” she said. “The kids enjoy getting the jackets…on top of getting a trophy or a plaque then it’s also a way for the kids to be able say ‘you know look what I’ve done in 4-H.”

Kids can only earn one jacket, and 4-H’ers who use the feed but do not ribbon, get a t-shirt from Payback, as another show of appreciation.

Payback has been supporting this gesture quite a few years, and the jackets are dispersed by reps dictated by their location.

“All of our different locations do the program,” she said. “For their areas that they buy the feed in.”